How last pub in tiny North Wales village was saved from closure and is now in safe hands

The Fox got its name from the man who had the pub built, Irish industrialist Ignatius Fox, who married Elizabeth Williams of Colomendy.
-Credit: (Image: Fox Inn)


Since Tudor times, pubs have been at the heat of a Flintshire village that lay on an important trade route linking Chester with in-land Wales. By the time the London-Holyhead Post Road arrived in Ysceifiog, there were three hostelries in the village, and two more on the outskirts, reflecting demand from thirsty travellers.

By Christmas 2010, the last one had closed. Residents complained it was as if Ysceifiog, near Holywell, had “died a death”. And but for the community’s determination to keep its beating heart alive, it might have stayed that way.

First to have a go at reopening the Fox Inn were two local families, partly to help out the local summer league football team deprived of post-match refreshments. It wasn’t to last and the ancient pub once again appeared doomed.

READ MORE: Met Office issues 15-hour weather warning for parts of North Wales

READ MORE: Town bar has closed just two months after opening doors

The final throw of the dice came courtesy of publicans Chris Swallow and partner Alwena Edwards, then running the Blue Anchor in Buckley. “We were attracted to the pub because it wasn’t tied to a brewery, unlike our previous tenancies,” said Chris. “At first the weekly turnover was small but we started to build it up from there.”

In 2017 Chris and Alwena married, inviting their wedding guests back to the pub for a post-reception knees-up. By then, the Fox Inn’s fortunes had been turned around and even Covid lockdowns failed to dent its revival. Last week, 13 years after they moved in, the couple who saved a village institution put the seal on their success by buying the pub, if only to ensure its doors remain open.

As the Swallows are past retirement age – Chris is 69, Alwena is 70 – it was quite a statement of intent. “Had we retired, we would have bloomin' well missed it,” chuckled Chris, accustomed to friendly banter with customers from behind the bar.

“It’s what gets us up in the morning – it’s something to look forward to. Besides, it’s not just our business, the pub is where we live, on the first floor, so we wanted security. But it wasn’t just about us. Had we not bought it, it might not have remained a pub. So many are shutting down and are being converted into houses or apartments – it’s quite easy to do.” Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now

Chris and Alwena Swallow
Chris and Alwena Swallow -Credit:Fox Inn

During the first half of 2024, more than 50 pubs were lost each month in England and Wales. By the end of June, the overall total had fallen 305 to 39,096, with 15 more Welsh pubs no longer calling time.

Britain’s hospitality industry has warned of a looming £1bn tax bombshell leading to further closures unless a lower sector business rate is introduced in next month’s budget. With pubs making an average 12p profit on every pint of beer, there have also been calls for a beer duty cut. Another industry concern is a potential move to ban outdoor smoking, including in beer gardens.

Chris said any government concessions will come too late to save the many Flintshire pubs now demolished or converted over the past decade or so. He reeled off a few names, all gone and fondly remembered: The Llyn Y Mawn in Brynford; The Miners Arms in Rhes-y-Cae; The Rock at Lloc; and The Rising Sun Inn, a 500-year-old former coaching inn in Nannerch.

“It’s why we’re determined to keep The Fox going,” he said. “It’s so important to our community. Whenever we do retire, we’ll rent it out to make sure it stays the local pub.”

The pub's smaller dining room can sit 12, its decor a nod to its origins and name
The pub's smaller dining room can sit 12, its decor a nod to its origins and name -Credit:Fox Inn

Walking into The Fox is like entering a time portal. Although its facade is Georgian, the interior was remodelled by successive upgrades until, suddenly, the clock stopped in the 1930s. It left the place with an amalgam of styles, none recent.

The drinking lobby is slate-floored and there’s a leaded screen around the servery. A sliding door opens to a tiny front bar, with an old counter and a 1930s tiled fireplace. For punters, bare bench seating is provided, some attached to the counter and facing out. Chris assumes this unusual arrangement was a space-saving ruse.

The pub has four rooms, three of which have coal fires. There’s a small snug with a cast-iron fireplace and, at the back, the lounge is served from a bar with a sliding window, now permanently open.

Numbers on the doors are an HM Customs and Excise legacy: the cellar door is number 6. Not surprisingly, the Fox is grade 11-listed and an entry in CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

The Fox got its name from the man who had the pub built, Irish industrialist Ignatius Fox, who married Elizabeth Williams of Colomendy. At the front is a seating area and, for families, there's a play area across the road
At the front is a seating area and, for families, there's a play area across the road -Credit:Fox Inn

Mercifully, the pub’s owners agreed one upgrade a few years after Chris and Alwena took on the tenancy from Brains. After years of trying to heat the place with costly electric fires, central heating was installed. “Often it was unpleasantly cold in winter where we were living upstairs,” recalled Chris. “The electricity bills were costing us £700-£800 each winter.”

They’ve since updated the lighting too. “To enhance the Olde Worlde ambiance,” he explained. “We’re not a sports bar, there’s no jukebox, just some quiet music in the dining room to give it some atmostphere.”

The couple have two houses in Denbigh and a cottage in Henllan, all run as holiday lets. They also have a caravan on the Llŷn Peninsula: often they return home from visits in a vehicle stuffed full of premium Welsh beer from Nefyn’s Cwrw Llŷn brewery, for serving in the pub. With their second seven-year tenancy due to expire in 2025, they must have been tempted to call it a day?

“The owners wanted us to stay on, if only for another 18 or 24 months,” said Chris. “Then they asked if we wanted to buy the pub. We went away to the caravan and talked it over. We realised we still enjoy it, we still get a buzz from it, we’re still pretty fit and we haven’t got any hobbies, so why not?”

The larger dining room can sit 16 but a new layout is planned
The larger dining room can sit 16 but a new layout is planned -Credit:Fox Inn

While Chris runs the bar, Alwena is firmly in charge of catering. Where possible, the ingredients are local and everything is home-cooked. Meat comes from butchers in Denbigh and Caerwys. The fish is sourced from Llandudno. When available, potatoes are supplied by producers in Mold and Greenfield. Behind the bar, several ales are Welsh.

The Fox doesn’t open until 4pm. Until then, Alwena is a dervish in the kitchen, preparing her lasagnas, fish pies, four types of curry and other pub staples. “She’s been cooking in pubs for 40 years,” her husband said. “So she knows her stuff.

“We’re not like the big chains where meals are brought in ready-prepared. Everything is fresh and prepared on the premises, it’s a major selling point.” The couple are particularly proud of their five-star reviews on Tripadvisor, with Sunday lunches coming in for lavish praise. “What a great find!” said a visiting couple. “Well worth a visit if travelling on the A55 and you don’t fancy a McDonalds at junction 31.” A family added: “Worth the 430-mile drive from the Highlands!”

As newly-minted pub owners, Chris and Alwenna plan a few minor small refurbishments in the coming months. But nothing too much: when you have a winning formula, you tinker at your peril. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

Look for places near you